shattered hope
by classycloudcuckoolanderclasso
Summary: In the realm of nightmares, a pyromaniac stumbles upon a broken 'king' and takes his place as ruler of nightmares. [[ A What If? regarding Willow becoming the Nightmare Throne's new captive. ]]


A flick of a wrist here, a pivot of an ankle there.

Both were restrained by entities not meant to be solid, but solid at the same time, but otherwise the Firestarter was able to stretch her joints whilst remaining strapped to the nightmarish chair in the middle of nowhere. Eyes that blazed like fires continued to scan the chessboard tiles that patterned what had now become her prison, painted black lips twisting into a snarl as she struggled, pulling at the tendrils wrapped around her wrists and ankles, to no avail.

It had only been a few hours prior to her current situation, really, the last moments she had been free. Free to run, walk, set fire to a whole forest and a bunch of Treeguards. Not that there were any Treeguards in such a barren place such as the final destination she had arrived at. But there were a few trees, at least, so she could have started fires if she wanted to.

How stupid was she, then, to have followed the torches that lit on their own, fascinated by their ability to hold such a brilliant flame, yet wary of its origins, seeing as that she was in the domain of the puppetmaster, the mastermind himself: Maxwell. The one and only.

Imagine her surprise, then, when she had discovered him, slumped on the distorted, hellish looking chair, fashioned from the dark enigmas that were contained in the red gemmed pendant hanging from her neck – her Life Giving Amulet, fashioned as a gift by the Gentleman Scientist the moment they acquired enough Nightmare Fuel.

 _A precautionary measure,_ he had told the rest of the group one day, when she had walked out of one of the tents wearing it. _To ensure that nobody dies without having a surefire way of coming back._ Not that anyone really believed him, of course: he looked _way_ too happy to have just created a pendant for 'resurrection'.

Wigfrid had rolled her eyes, muttering something about lovesickness and crazy scientists, while Webber had clapped his hands together – all eight of them – in delight, his own Life Giving Amulet around his neck: fashioned for him by Wendy, with help from Abigail. Wickerbottom herself had a Meat Effigy near her tent, whereas Woodie had a Touch Stone in the nearby forest at the ready. WX-78 didn't need any of those, or so he claimed, but Wes had made him a Life Giving Amulet anyway, wearing his own as a precaution. Wolfgang had at least three in his bag, one around his neck, and Wilson himself had a Life Giving Amulet from Willow a few days prior (though she didn't dare tell him how much trouble she went through to get a Red Gem she was willing to give away; she had a debilitating fondness for hoarding them).

 _Wilson…_ Pale fingers brushed against the gemstone's face, radiating warmth and the care its creator had put into it, allowing the pyromaniac's frantically beating heart to slow into a relaxed pace before she steeled her courage, approaching the man on the 'throne', only to be greeted by a sorry sight as he told his story.

But first, the gramophone. Gods, the song was grating. Willow had half a mind to at least replace the disc on the thing, if Maxwell's current state was anything to base off of. No man, not even Maxwell, deserved such a torturous song continuously played without being able to turn it off for even a moment. Once she had done so, the man had thanked her profusely before asking her to keep him company, even for a while.

 _There isn't anywhere to go,_ he had said in a voice that echoed in the darkness. _I've tried._

And for just a moment, Willow had felt the twinges of pity in her heart. Those were soon squashed by the curiosity that overtook her as she eyed the lock next to him, sitting almost inconspicuously on the floor and waiting. The Divining Rod in her hand 'twang'ed loudly, making her look down before measuring the 'keyhole' against the rod in her hand.

A perfect fit.

Willow had peered around behind her, waiting for Wilson to show up yelling "WAIT! DON'T DO IT! I HAVE A BETTER IDEA!", but he never came.

 _Of course he won't come, stupid,_ Willow had chided herself. _You're the idiot who insisted on pressing on to the final level alone._ Despite her thoughts, however, the slightest twinges of regret made its way through her heart, wishing that with all her heart she had at least taken _someone_ along. To know that she was stuck with Maxwell, all alone in his throne, on a deserted plain… it would've been at least comforting to have someone else other than Maxwell to talk to. Even _Wes,_ the mime, would've been sufficient company.

But alas, she had no one. Even Chester had remained with Wilson.

No one to stop her from performing the deed.

The Divining Rod clicked, and stuck inside the lock.

The throne – the Nightmare Throne – had disappeared into the ground, freeing the man from his prison, but just as he had thrown his arms up to celebrate, he had faded into dust, leaving nary a bone or brain as a remembrance. Caught by surprise, Willow barely had any time to react before the tendrils had dragged her down through the ground and popped back up once more, only this time, with her sitting on the Nightmare Throne, _her_ wrists bound, _her_ ankles tied up.

Just like Maxwell.

Which led back to the situation at hand.

 ** _you'll hURt yoursElf._**

"Shut _up!_ " Willow hissed, pulling and pushing at her bindings, to no avail. If they had been ropes, she was pretty sure she would have gotten rope burns by this point. And rope burns, even though they were burns, were not pretty. Not that Willow knew what a burn felt like firsthand: she _was_ immune to fire, after all. "ARRGHHHH!"

 ** _Are yOU DOne?_**

"Hell no!" The pyromaniac seethed with rage, tugging, straining, forcing herself to be free, but alas, it was all for naught. She remained on the throne, bound, furious, and just a little bit… frightened. Maxwell's story ran through her mind again, and with a dismayed look, stared off into the darkness. _Oh gods… I'll be stuck here, just like Maxwell unless someone comes to get me… Alone, no one to talk to… stuck to this chair for eternity… and…_ "Gods damn it, why can't _SOMEBODY_ turn off that damned gramophone?!"

And, just like magic, it did.

Immediately the Firestarter became suspicious. No one was around, and yet some mysterious force had decided to comply with her estranged yell by turning the blasted thing off, much to her relief and confusion. So who had…?

 ** _I did._**

… What.

 ** _I… It's been so long since I've…_**

Willow's neck craned around as she stretched as far as the throne would allow her, scanning her surroundings to see who was speaking. The voice was ethereal, but echoey, as if speaking through a long tunnel. Years of misuse were evident from the voice, however, and Willow raised an eyebrow. "Who… who are you?"

 ** _… I am the darkness. I am your nightmares._**

"… Are you one of the nuns from the town?"

 ** _… Goodness, no… I am far from a heavenly being now…_**

"Then… who are you?"

 ** _… I was once known as Charlie._**

 _Char… lie…_ The name seemed oddly familiar, though Willow couldn't quite place where she had heard the name before.

 _"Charlie will be out soon. Hope you two have fun."_

… That's right! "You… you're the night monster! You're the… the grue!"

 ** _… I do not know what a grue is… but I am the monster of the night, as you say._**

Now what? Willow had no idea what else to do. "So, uh…"

 ** _Yes?_**

"… Do you, erm…" How could she put it without sounding rude? "… do you have a… physical form?"

 ** _I lost my human body the moment Maxwell opened that damned Codex Umbra and messed around with it on stage._**

Charlie's voice was filled with bitterness at the name 'Maxwell', so Willow wisely decided that pressing further regarding the matter would be out of the question. Instead, she inquired, "So then… what do you look like now?" Pause. "I'm sorry if it's an invasive question, but… well, this whole area's literally darkness, and you just said you were darkness. Might as well know the best company I've got, right?"

 ** _…_**

At first, Willow had thought she had somehow pissed off the night monster, and quietly prayed to whatever gods were out there to protect her from certain death, when a shadowy shoe slid out from the darkness, followed by a leg, a dress, a woman.

She was coming out.

As she approached the trapped young woman, the edges of her seemed to never let go of the shadows, instead being attached to it as if they were wires coming from inside her body. Most of her body was obscured by the shadows that frolicked all over her person, but Willow could see a lovely purple dress and black evening gloves amidst all the blackness. Charlie's face herself could not be seen, but her eyes, a pretty violet, shone with a gentle glow that reminded Willow of the white eyes of the spiders, but gentler, and certainly more human. A red rose was tucked above Charlie's ear, but the edges had already begun to fray and tear, while her lips, painted a lovely dark red, were pressed into a line as she kept her face as passive as possible. Her hair was lost to the darkness, but the few curls in the front bounced around, alerting Willow of its presence.

"… You're beautiful." Willow finally blurted out after a few minutes of staring.

The night monster only looked down. **_"You speak too kindly… this is but a puppet that I control, and not my true form."_**

"But it's supposed to look like the human you, right? At least, that's what I think. It's too detailed to be anything else." Willow's voice was tinged with sympathy. "Miss Charlie… I've got a while 'til the others find me, you've got forever… would you… mind if you told me what happened to you?"

 ** _"…"_**

"… It's alright if you don't. I was just really curious..."

 ** _"… I will tell you. But prepare yourself for a long tale."_**

* * *

And talespin she did. Charlie, forming her own chair from the shadows and sitting across from Willow and the throne, recounted her life before meeting Maxwell – who Willow found out to actually be named William – as a simple young woman looking for an exciting but safe life, finding out about the magician from a few flyers floating around town. Excited and young as she was, she immediately signed up for an interview, and after that, she had been hired as his assistant.

Giddy with joy, the two had traveled all over the place, performing tricks for awed audiences, until Maxwell discovered what she denoted was known as the 'Codex Umbra', an unearthly tome that had led to both of their unfortunate fates in the realm they now resided in, with Maxwell becoming the unfortunate 'ruler' of the realm and the 'plaything' of Them, while Charlie had lost her humanity and had become the night monster that had plagued them – the pawns – during the night when they had no light.

 ** _"It was such a jarring feeling… to sense you on the throne instead of Maxwell."_** Charlie pressed a gloved hand to her forehead. **_"I could not communicate with him during his reign... for my humanity, along with my body, had been stripped away. I had the mentality of a predator: hunt when at their most vulnerable."_**

"Which would explain why you only attacked us at night with the lights out?"

 ** _"You… were all essentially blind as bats walking in the dark. I could not prevent myself then… but I am sure that I enjoyed it back then."_** The shadow shuddered. **_"Now that you are on the throne… I find my humanity slipping back into me… but why…?"_**

Willow thought for a bit. "Well, maybe it's because I'm a girl and you're a girl? Pretty farfetched, but that's the only thing I can think of right now."

 ** _"Perhaps…"_** Charlie's shadow smiled a Cheshire Cat grin, complete with glittering white molars. **_"I did not get to thank you for that… but perhaps you might accept gratitude in the form of company?"_**

"But… didn't I free Maxwell? If you two got stuck together… doesn't that mean you should be free, too?"

 ** _"A mastermind is different from a monster. I am bound to Them like he is, but since my original form is missing, I am unable to traverse as much as I would like."_** Charlie's hands interlocked fingers. **_"I'm not joined at the hip with Maxy. I am my own person."_**

"I know that…" Willow gazed at the Life Giving Amulet against her neck.

 ** _"If we followed that logic, however… then Mister Higgsbury would have been trapped here as well, taking my place."_**

"… Huh?" Willow was baffled. "What do you mean?"

 ** _"You two entered Their realm at the exact same time at different points on Earth. He, in his little house in the forest, and you, in the burning embers of your old home. You were informed first, and fell first to his whims, while Wilson fell only a few days later, but by that point you were already finished with your Wooden Thing, and he was just getting ready to turn the lever."_**

The pyromaniac was surprised when the throne allowed her to move her arms around to express disbelief. "Okay, hold on a bit. You're saying that Maxwell told me first and made me make that door thing before Wilson for a few days, but Wilson built his door thing in one day and pulled the 'lever' at the same time as me? Are you _serious?"_

 ** _"Indeed I am. Mister Higgsbury is a man of his own invention, and as such he works many wonders. He reminds me… of Maxy, in a way. His ingenuity makes for quite the man."_**

"…"

Charlie shook her head. **_"My point is, if we were to follow your logic regarding me and Maxy, then I would have left this place with him, and Mister Higgsbury would most certainly lose himself to Them and lose what sanity and humanity he has left. And before you and the group met up with him, he barely had any sympathy for anybody."_**

"I…" Willow stared at her trapped wrists and ankles. "… Then… since I came here alone and freed Maxwell alone, that means that I only replaced him?" A realization settled in. "Does this mean he… he replaced _me_ out there?"

 ** _"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a plaything for a plaything. We are all bound to Their chessboard, but Maxwell does not care. He is only glad to stretch his limbs for once in a hundred years."_** Charlie's shadowy fingers flexed. **_"I too, would love to… to feel again, just like any other. To regain my humanity. But… it is impossible."_**

The lighter in her pocket bumped against her thigh. "… I want to go home."

 ** _"I wish I could help you, my dear. But nobody can go home."_** Beat. **_"Not even William"_**

A hand reached up to touch the pendant. "Wigfrid… Wigfrid said that 'home is where you are ready to scream like a proopur vahking, or… something like that." Her attempts to copy the valkyrie's accent were quite a failure, but they made Charlie chuckle anyway. "And… erm. It just comes naturally, I guess? I find it very natural for me."

 ** _"… Home is where the heart is, Willow. Where is your heart?"_**

"Uh… here?"

 ** _"… Dear, have you never heard of love?_**

"Well… I love fire."

 ** _"That is a different kind of love, Willow."_**

"Well, I know _that._ But… why'd you ask?"

Moving closer, Charlie's gloved hand grazed Willow's cheek with the gentleness of a mother, making the girl shiver at the new feeling. **_"Your home is with the group you left behind. The people you care about, the people you love, whether in a familial or romantic spirit."_** Her hand touched the rose tucked above her ear. **_"… You don't want to go back to your home on Earth, you want to go back to them. Because they are your home."_**

"I _know_ that!" Willow bit out, trying to keep a stubborn face, but failing, her shaking shoulders alerting Charlie to the possibility that she would cry. "I _know_ I love them all, I know that! Gods, I don't know how long it's been in this wretched hellhole, how long I've been away from Earth, or how I managed to do it, but I did! I grew to love them! Tell me something I don't know for once!"

 ** _We will tell YOU SOMething tHAT YOU do nOt know._**

Charlie stiffened. So she could hear Them too. Figures that the night monster could hear Them.

 ** _will yoU HEAR oUR information?_**

"Ah, to hell with you!" Willow snarled at Them, pounding her fist on the seat's arm rests. "Why should I listen to you? I'll be out of here in a few days, anyway! You can't keep me here forever!"

 ** _arE YOu sURE hE IS coming fOR yOU?_**

"I'm _sure_ that he- _they're –_ coming for me." Willow stressed her correction with gritted teeth. "They wouldn't leave me behind. They're going to come looking for me at any moment now, knowing that Maxwell is out and about!"

 ** _theN WHY DoN't yOU SEeee for YOURseeeEEEELF?_**

The Firestarter stopped. _See for… for myself?_

 ** _HOW ELSE DID MAXWELL MANAGE TO WATCH OVER ALL OF YOU?_**

 ** _"No, you mustn't…"_** Charlie pleaded, but before Willow could react, a tendril whipped at Charlie's shadowy form, and the enigma retreated back into the shadows, her white eyes still staring imploringly at Willow, but her voice now gone, at least for the moment.

Something popped out of the ground, making Willow rub at her eyes the best she could before examining it. A… bowl? Wait, Wendy called it something else one time…

 _"A scrying bowl, that is. Abigail once used it to view her dead rabbit in heaven before she died. I myself have used it before I discovered her flower."_

A scrying bowl. That was what it was. Did that mean that Maxwell spied on them through a _scrying bowl?!_

 ** _this WILL be youR mETHOD nOt hIs._**

While afraid of water, Willow decided that it wouldn't hurt to look, and peered down at the smooth, untouched water, only to widen her eyes at the sight. She could… she could see everyone! _Wendy… oh, there's Abigail, and Webber too! Wigfrid and Woodie and Wickerbottom… Wolfgang and Wes too… they're… they're all safe, thank the gods… wait, where's…_

 ** _wILsoN PERcivaL HIGGSBurY Is iN HIS teNt._**

 _Of course… that man never left his tent unless for a good reason. But, uh…_ Willow had no idea how to change the view of the scrying bowl, and was about to speak up about it before the view immediately zoomed into the nearest tent – one that she identified as Wilson's. Once the 'camera' inside had settled its gaze on the Gentleman Scientist, however, Willow felt a certain pain in her center, seeing him working on something. While seeing him work on something science-y usually made her smile, right now… she felt a little left out. _Well, I AM in this hellhole without any of them._

 _"Mister Higgberry?"_

Willow let her breath catch in her throat as the humanoid spider child walked inside Wilson's tent freely, legs twitching with the telltale signs of anxiety. " _Mister Higgberry, it's been hours since missus Willow left. Abbyghost said it's been at least seven, I think."_

 _"Precisely seven hours and thirty minutes, Webber. And it's Higgsbury, not Higgberry."_ Wilson swiveled around to face Webber, allowing Willow the opportunity to gaze upon his face once more. Since it was almost winter, Wilson had been growing his beard, as was Webber, making the pyro snort at the silly clump of hair covering the bottom half of their faces. Nevertheless, Willow felt happy, seeing the man's face again… even if it _was_ covered in itchy beard hair. _"Willow has been gone for seven hours, thirty minutes, fifteen seconds-"_

 _"He didn't ask for a detailed account, Mister Higgsbury."_ Wendy entered the tent, Abigail promptly planting herself on top of Webber's head. _"What he's trying to say is, shouldn't we be out searching for her?"_

 _"It's only been seven hours and thirty minutes, Wendy. Give it time."_

 _"But Mister Higgsbury, seven hours is a long time to be away from camp to seek the demon behind all our hellish troubles."_

 _"Leetle girl is right!"_ Good grief, Wolfgang was here now. _"Is very long time for fire lady to be gone. Wolfgang is being very worrying now for good being of fire lady!"_

 _"Good grief, Wolfgang, why are you here?"_ Willow held back a snicker at how Wilson had almost exactly mirrored her earlier sentiments regarding the Strongman's sudden appearance. _"Scratch that, why are all of you here?"_

 _"Because we're worried for missus Willow, mister Hibberry!"_ Wilson groaned at Webber's mispronunciation of his last name again. _"Aren't you worried too?"_

Willow leaned forward, anticipating his answer. Hearing Webber say that they were worried for her was touching, sure, and it gave her the warmest of feelings running throughout her whole body, like sitting in the middle of a blazing forest fire, but, much to her guilt, she wasn't happy with just their worry. It was like… she _wanted_ Wilson to be worried about her. Just to know that he cared. _That's really selfish of me, gods… I should be grateful that the others are worried about me at all! And yet…_ Her brow furrowed. _Why isn't he answering?_

 _"… Well, Mister Higgsbury?"_ Wendy's foot tapped impatiently on the ground. _"You haven't answered our question. Are you not worried for the wellbeing of Miss Willow?"_

 _"…"_

 _"Why you no answer, science guy?"_ Wolfgang flexed his muscles almost threateningly,though Willow knew he would never harm any of the people in camp. _"Is not worried about fire lady?"_

 _"What in the blazing heavens is this noise all about?"_

Good _grief._ "Why is everyone coming to Wilson's tent?"

"Why is everyone coming to my tent?!" Wilson echoed in an exasperated tone just as Wickerbottom slid past the opening, WX-78 and Wes hot on her heels. The sounds of yelling outside alerted both him and the overseeing Willow to the approaching presences of Wigfrid and Woodie, making the Gentleman Scientist groan and pinch the bridge of his nose as Wigfrid entered, yelling, " _Öi! What's all the nöise aböut_?!" while Woodie just stretched, scratching his back with Lucy perched above his shoulder.

 _"WHY IS EVERYONE HERE?!"_ Wilson yelled, looking absolutely baffled. Willow couldn't hold it back, and snickered at the scrying bowl, giggling at how un-Wilson-y he looked, complete with the silly beard. _"Gods damn it, what is wrong with everyone today?"_

 _"I think it'd be best if WE asked YOU if you were alright."_ Wickerbottom adjusted her glasses sternly. _"You have been showing little to no regard for the wellbeing of our ragtag group for the past few hours, even going so far as to deny the existence of the Firestarter herself the moment the fourth hour passed."_ Willow's heart stopped at her words. _What…?_

Wes mimed something, which Wigfrid translated as, " _Wes is right. Yöu've been acting ödd the whöle day, and it's almöst night time! Yöu literally did nöt acknöwledge Willöw's journey the whole time-"_

 _"AREN'TCHA WORRIED 'BOUT HER?!"_ Woodie finally burst out yelling, moustache bristling. Willow would've laughed at the hilarious sight, had she not been shellshocked into silence by Wickerbottom's statement regarding Wilson's state of being. _He's… been denying my existence?_

 ** _"Oh no…"_** Willow couldn't hear it, but Charlie, in the shadows, or what was left of her, was whispering quietly to herself in worry. Being the monster of the night, Charlie could sense sanity slippage and negative feelings emanating from the nearest living being, and Willow was _not_ looking good at all.

 _"YOU ACTING SO SMART, EH?"_ Woodie grabbed at Wilson's shirt, pulling him up, despite the dismayed yells of the others. _"WHAT'S YER SMARTS GONNA DO FOR YA R'NOW, EH? CAUSE SMARTS AIN'T A GOOD REASON TO BE ACTIN' LIKE THERE'S NOTHIN' WRONG GOING ON AND THAT WILLOW'S GONE-"_

 _"I…"_

 _"What?"_ Wolfgang tilted his head. Abigail seemed to shrink away from Wilson, who was still in Woodie's grip.

 _"I… DON'T… CARE!"_ Wilson's words cut through the air like a blade, silencing the remaining members of the little ragtag team, and plunging straight through Willow's core. Hearing those words seemed to erase the fact that the others were worried about her in her mind, his sentence slicing and dicing what was left of her hopes into dust.

A single tear slid down Willow's face and into the scrying bowl, sending ripples throughout the calm water and distorting Wilson's tense figure in the liquid. As They withdrew the scrying bowl, the Firestarter's body hunched over, hands gripping the arm rests as her head hung low, bangs shielding her eyes from the worried glowing eyes of Charlie, still hiding in the darkness from Them, who were ready to slap her away again.

And then, Willow screamed.

 ** _"The heavens scream!"_** Charlie's voice managed to ring out unhindered against the young woman's bone-chilling scream. A saddening sound, to come from anyone, really. To hear it coming from such a steadfast person, however, someone who had stood strong with the others during times of harsh winters and burning summers, someone who was usually the one keeping sane when even the others were going nuts, well, it was morale-destroying. Charlie could hear the despair in her tone, and as much as she wanted to help, there really wasn't mistaking what the Gentleman Scientist had said.

He didn't care.

If Charlie still had a human body, she would have touched the area where her heart would have been, feeling the most ancient beginnings of pain starting to form. Seeing Willow in such grief reminded her strongly of her own pain the moment she began regaining bits of her humanity, the moment Maxwell left her to escape into the world, leaving such a poor girl strapped to the throne, burdened with the task of being their puppet. She had felt angry – angry that he didn't try to stop her – and confused – confused as to why he left her – and betrayed – betrayed that he didn't so much as mention her name during his escape into the wilderness. And yet…

The former human sighed. She couldn't stay angry at Maxwell – no, William – for too long. No matter what sorts of delirious bull he managed to do… Charlie didn't have the heart to stay permanently mad at him. Sure, she wouldn't be able to help herself from attacking him should he fail to find a light source, but other than that… William was still William, under all that. Charlie knew that much, and right now, she wanted to see him again. Not Maxwell: William Carter. The man she first met, and fell in love with.

She could sense a similar sentiment from Willow, really, in regards to the Gentleman Scientist, Wilson P. Higgsbury. While Willow didn't at all say it, watching from the shadows had allowed her animalistic mind to glimpse moments of their interaction – moments that did not go forgotten the moment she was able to comprehend once more. She saw how Willow was always the first one to run to his side when he was hurt, and the times when they both fought over petty things before eventually making up before dinner. She had glimpsed the moments when Willow and Wilson shared heart to heart talks before promptly returning to their petty fights, and the moments where Willow would voice her concerns that were mainly aimed at Wilson, though they sounded like they were intended for the whole group, at the least.

 ** _hE CARES not fOR You_**

 ** _"No…"_** Charlie's voice was nothing more than a harsh whisper compared to the voices that only she and Willow could hear. While They were only in Willow's head, Charlie could hear them as clear as day as if They had been conversing with her instead of talking to Willow. She _knew_ what they were doing, and she didn't like it. Not one bit. **_"Willow, don't listen to them!"_**

 ** _YOU Heard hiM DID you nOT?_**

Shudders rippled throughout the pyromaniac's body as a response. They took it to mean 'yes'.

 ** _whY WASte yoUr tEARs on sOMEONe as wEAK aS HIM? You ARE A QueEN noW._**

Charlie saw Willow's head lift a little, making what was now her equivalent of a heart stop. No.

 ** _yeSsss. tHAT FOOL MAXwelL lEFT and tHREW Away the thRONe thE moMeNT you frEEd him. All tHIS unTapPed pOWEr…_**

 ** _"No… Willow, no!"_**

Willow only looked up fully the moment hands emerged from the shadows reached out to caress her face gently, almost mockingly.

 ** _A QuEENly PuPPET… thAT WouLD HaVE been YOUR roLE… but yOU ARE much mUCh bettER thAN WillIAM… yoU HAVe MOrE POTeNTiaL._**

Charlie struggled to reform her shadowy human form, but it was like They were restricting her capabilities by just being there, ruining Willow further. Despite her distressed calls for Willow to stop listening to them, her voice faded away, leaving only monstrous screeches that still held its intentions of goodwill towards the young woman, whose eyes brimmed with despair-filled tears as They continued to speak.

 ** _We WILl noT cONTroL you… yOU are mUCh mORe oBEDIENT, aREn't yoU?_**

Willow did not move, but the slouch in her shoulders spoke volumes.

 ** _yesSSsss... sUCH subSerViENCE to tHE PoWER mAKES for a TrUE QuEEN Of NIGhTMArES._**

As all this occurred, the former human known as Charlie was still there, but as her voice faded from existence, so did her humanity. Her last humane moments were spent watching in increased despair as the shadows engulfed the former Firestarter, until she became unrecognizable. With black, inky tears forming in her glowing white eyes, Charlie let one last thought fester in her last sane moments.

 _Wilson Higgsbury… I hope you've realized your mistake._

A bloodcurdling screech pierced the heavens as They reinstated a new ruler on the Nightmare Throne.


End file.
